NF-KB ACTIVITY IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and is the most common type of dementia. In the USA, the disease affects approximately 5 million individuals, and it is expected that this number will increase drastically with the increasing age of the elderly population. Affected patients first experience mild memory loss which worsens as the disease progresses, and results in cognitive decline and ultimately, death. AD affects the brain with deposits of abnormal proteins and neuronal death. As of date, therapeutic options are limited and effective treatments still need to be discovered. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a transcription molecule containing binding sites for genes involved in neuroinflammation and regulates genes that control cell replication and death. Gene therapy utilizing the signaling pathway of NF-kB in the brain could be targeted for gene therapy to treat AD. Blocking NF-kB could yield anti-inflammatory effects for the disease, leading to the suppression of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), cell death, and also inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) that are involved in the pathogenesis of AD.